GivEnergy Gen1 or Gen 3

[Manimnalfloss]

Morning all
12x 260W panels
Autarco MK3.6 inverter

My current system was inherited with a house purchase in 2017 (installed in 2013) and has run flawlessly up until last month, The Autarco MK3.6Kw unit packed in and I found a dry joint on one of the 30A relays has cause a short to the casing, ive carried out some fault finding and testing and the unit is (IMHO) BER.

Im taking this option to add a hybrid inverter into the system as a plan to upgrade the panels in the future and add a battery when budget will allow.

Ive found GivEnergy inverters have been popular with friends and family and have looked into their products, as i plan to put in bigger panels in the future il looking at the 5kw hybrid units and found the following:
Gen 1 5Kw unit £600
Gen 3 5Kw unit £1100

Does anyone have any experience on either of these models and is it really worth paying over double for the Gen 3? I see they are both now supplied with a 12y warranty


Thanks
Ross
AKA The Manimalfloss

 

[binky]

did you get the Feed in Tariff transferred to yourself from the previous owners? If you did, then just replace the inverter and keep the batteries as a separate system to avoid invalidating the FiT payments.

 

[Manimnalfloss]

did you get the Feed in Tariff transferred to yourself from the previous owners? If you did, then just replace the inverter and keep the batteries as a separate system to avoid invalidating the FiT payments.

Hi Binky
Yes the FIT was transferred so I still have his original deal 18P Per Kwh, how would it invalidate the FIT by adding the battery? ive a meter between my PV system and my consumer unit and a meter between my consumer unit and the grid, I'm payed based on the CU/Grid meter readings? if anything my FIT will drop as a use more PV to charge the battery for night use.
I dont plan to charge the battery from the grid if i can avoid it.

Thanks
Ross

 

[binky]

Hi Binky
Yes the FIT was transferred so I still have his original deal 18P Per Kwh, how would it invalidate the FIT by adding the battery? ive a meter between my PV system and my consumer unit and a meter between my consumer unit and the grid, I'm payed based on the CU/Grid meter readings? if anything my FIT will drop as a use more PV to charge the battery for night use.
I dont plan to charge the battery from the grid if i can avoid it.

Thanks
Ross

Get the change authorised by the FiT provider then, you will need to inform them of changing the inverter anyway, so ask if they are happy to add a battery.

 

[Mark Berry]

Don’t get the Gen 1 it’s old kit and some of the older ones aren’t supported for firmware updates anymore

 

[Manimnalfloss]

Don’t get the Gen 1 it’s old kit and some of the older ones aren’t supported for firmware updates anymore

What's your experience with them? is there any major differences between the Gen 1 and Gen 3???

 

[Mark Berry]

What's your experience with them? is there any major differences between the Gen 1 and Gen 3???

Gen1 use an old connector type so you need specific cables if using a newer Gen 2 battery.

The Gen 1 has smaller limit on the amount of panels you can connect.

The Gen 1 can only charge and discharge the battery at 2.5Kw whereas the Gen 3 can charge at 3.3Kw and discharge at 3.6Kw. This will mean the Gen 1 will be limited to supplying your home at 2.5Kw from battery when there's no sun, the Gen 3 will supply 3.6kW. This also means the maximum amount of energy the Gen1 can take from the panels is 7.5kW whereas the Gen 3 can take 8.3kW (this assumes space in the battery, so 5kw houseload/export plus 3.3kW charging the battery).

If you are going to use the backup power output in case of a power cut, the Gen 1 will only output 2.6kW, the Gen 3 will output 3.6kW.

The Gen 3 has builtin WiFi and LAN. The Gen 1 only has a USB wifi dongle which can cause issues if the wifi isn't particularly strong.

 

[Manimnalfloss]

Thanks for the input Mark, much appreciate the time you have taken to reply. ive done a bit of research and dont think anything listed can sway me from the 50% cost increase of the Gen3.

Gen1 use an old connector type so you need specific cables if using a newer Gen 2 battery.
Gen1- Gen 2 battery conversion cables are available, Battery is a bit down the line yet so can worry about that then.
The Gen 1 has smaller limit on the amount of panels you can connect.
I currently only have a 3.2Kw (12x260w) string and cant see me going much more than 5Kw in the future
The Gen 1 can only charge and discharge the battery at 2.5Kw whereas the Gen 3 can charge at 3.3Kw and discharge at 3.6Kw. This will mean the Gen 1 will be limited to supplying your home at 2.5Kw from battery when there's no sun, the Gen 3 will supply 3.6kW. This also means the maximum amount of energy the Gen1 can take from the panels is 7.5kW whereas the Gen 3 can take 8.3kW (this assumes space in the battery, so 5kw house load/export plus 3.3kW charging the battery).
The max loading wont be an issue, I'm not looking for complete off-grid status, i have mains gas into the house for heating and cooking so only needs to run Lights/Tv/Computers at night.
If you are going to use the backup power output in case of a power cut, the Gen 1 will only output 2.6kW, the Gen 3 will output 3.6kW.
I have a 3.6kva petrol genny ive used in the past but think 2.5KW would be more than enough to run the boiler/fridge-freezer as essentials.
The Gen 3 has builtin WiFi and LAN. The Gen 1 only has a USB wifi dongle which can cause issues if the wifi isn't particularly strong.
This was the only real concern initially but my router is only 10 feet away from the inverter so hope this wont be an issue.

 

[Manimnalfloss]

Get the change authorised by the FiT provider then, you will need to inform them of changing the inverter anyway, so ask if they are happy to add a battery.

Spoke to my supplier this morning, they are happy with the change of inverter and noted it on my account, I will have to complete a battery declaration when i get round to installing it but until then they are not concerned. The ouns is on me to declare when its installed and how its connected.

Ross

 

[Manimnalfloss]

Don’t get the Gen 1 it’s old kit and some of the older ones aren’t supported for firmware updates anymore

Got a reply from GivEnergy, still supporting Gen1 Firmware updates.